Frame for swimming pool cover



De Q, 19 V c. G. RIGGS 7 2,964,759

FRAME FOR SWIMMING POOL COVER Filed Feb. 24, 1959 IN V EN TOR. IQAEE/W'E 4.19am? -%WW4K United States Patent FRAME FOR SWIMMING POOL COVER Clarence G. Riggs, 14041 S. Stratton Way, Santa Ana, Calif.

Filed Feb. 24, 1959, Ser. No. 794,878

4 Claims. (Cl. 4-172) tinue to be constructed with no built-in provision for stretching a cover over them, a frame of some kind becomes a necessity where ordinances or good sense require a cover to be used.

It is an object of my invention to provide a frame having a plurality of interconnectable members and thereby adaptable to pools of different sizes.

A further object of my invention is to provide a frame easily adaptable to pools of irregular configuration.

Still another object of my invention is to provide an arched frame under Which, especially when used with a 11 cover transmitting light and heat rays, people may swim in cold weather It a further and important object of my invention to provide a frame of light bowed arches which in their erected state are under compression, and thereby give 5 to the frame a solidity and rigidity which would otherwise require the use of relatively heavy material.

Yet another object of my invention is to provide a frame which so holds and supports a cover that rainwater drains from the cover and carries leaves and de-- bris outward beyond the concrete rim of a pool.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be pointed out as the following specification develops, or will be apparent from the specification considered in con junction with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a pool cover stretched over a frame according to my invention, parts of the cover being broken away to show the frame and the manner of its connection to a pool, and parts of the pool rim also being broken away to illustrate details of construction to be found in nearly all swimming pools;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, on an enlarged scale, showing how a pool cover is secured marginally to a supporting base member;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, showing how the support or base member is held hooked to the margin of the pool to prevent it being pushed outward;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, showing how arched members are secured to the support or base member;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1 showing how end portions of the base or support member are preferably secured to the pool coping;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of means for attaching a guy to one of the arched members;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view with parts broken away showing a joint in one of the arched members or in the support member, wherever need for enlargement exists; and

2,964,759 Patented Dec. 20, 1960 Fig. 9 is a plan view on a reduced scale showing how a frame according to my invention may be placed upon a pool of irregular configuration.

Having reference now to the details of the drawing, it may be observed that nearly all swimming pools have a coping 10 sloped very slightly to drain outwardly away from the pool, so that splashed water does not bring debris and sand back to the pool. Around the pool and under the coping 10 is an overflow gutter 11. A lip 12 overhangs the gutter 11 at the inner edge of the coping 10 and forms the margin of the pool itself.

Upon the coping 10 is a base or support member 14 for the support of arched members 15 which extend across the pool. The support member 14 has side members 16 extending along the two sides of the pool underlying the ends of the arched members 15, and preferably also has end members 17 on the coping at the ends of the pool, forming a closed figure of the same configuration as the pool. The support member 14 is preferably of tubular material as this construction lends itself to easily fabricated joints secured internally, and thus to a smooth exterior along which other members may slide when it is so desired. The arched members 15 are also preferably of tubular material, flattened at the ends as shown at 18 in Figs. 4 and 5 so as to receive flat bars 19. The

ends 20 of the bars 19 which protrude from the flattened ends 18 encircle the side members 16 slidably. It will be seen that the structure permits the arched members 15 to be moved along the side members 16 as may be desired. The dimensions of the arched members 15 are such that they must be bent slightly, like bows, in order to fit between the side members 16. Thus, if a pool is 14 feet wide between lips 12 on the side copings, the side members 16 might be 16 feet apart and the arched members 15, when not under bowed compression, might measure 16 feet 6 inches between ends 18.

The bars 19 make rigid joints with the arched members 15 into which they extend, holding the arched members closely to arches in vertical planes. Such a joint may, however, be quickly separated by increasing the compression on the arched member 15 and pulling it from the bar 19.

It will be seen that the side members 16 are under outward thrust of the ends 18 of the arched members 15 against the circular ends 20 of the bars 19, as shown in Fig. 4. To offset this outward thrust, the side members 16 are held in fixed relation to the pool by braces 21, shown in Fig. 3. Braces 21 are flat bars like the bars 19, and like the bars 19 they have ends 22 encircling slidably the side members 16. The other ends of the braces 21 are formed as hooks 23 hooked over the lip 12.

The end members 17, if provided, are also held in fixed relation to the pool, but as these members are not subject to thrust or pull they cannot be posited by a mere resistance to such a force. They are preferably held by braces 24, shown in Fig. 6, which have ends 25 encircling the members 17, and ends 26 secured to the coping 10 by screws 27.

It will be seen from Fig. 6 that the braces 24 are bent so as to lift the end members 17 of the base 14 above the coping 10.. This is for the purpose of permitting the margins of a pool cover 28 to be tucked under the base 14. If the end members 17 are raised, as shown, the side members 16 will also tend to lift slightly from the coping 10 as appears in Fig. 3, aided by the tendency of the arched members 15 to straighten. Clips 29 are provided, shown in Fig. 2, for securing the pool cover 28 to the base 14 at both the sides and the ends thereof.

Both the base 14 and the arched members 15 may be expanded to fit large pools or pools of irregular configuration. The arched members 15 are shown in Fig. 1 as having joints 30 at their centers, and a joint 31 is shown in one of the side members 16. Fig. 8 illustrates the construction of these joints, the structure being the same in both cases. A pin or dowel 32 is secured in one of the tubes forming the support base .14, as by spot welding, and the free end of the pin or dowel 32 is thrust into an alignedtube. As neither 'th'esidemembers .16 nor the end members 17 of the support base 14 can move outwardly, because of the braces 21 and 24, the dowel connections are adequate to hold the base in one piece, and very simple. Likewise, because the archedmembers 15 are'pla'cedunder compression, dowels adequately hold them alsowhen need arises to expand them. It is thus possible to provide cover frames for irregularly shaped pools, such as that shown in Fig. 9, in which the pool end 33 is wider than the pool end 34, yet the arched members which fit on the end 34 may be expanded or spliced to fit on the end 33. When frames are to be shipped, the ability to ship standard lengths and to splice them in expanded form on the job is of great advantage.

To hold the arched members 15 erect while a cover 28 is being pulled over them or from them, a guy 35 is strung from one to another of the arched members, being looped around each and passed through a clip 36 as shown in Fig. 7. Thus each of the members 15 renders support to the others. A strut 37, having a looped end 38 looped pivotally around an end base member 17, may be attached to the guy 35 at the nearest member 15, to give stability to the whole structure.

When the cover 28 is made of sheet plastic material which transmits light and heat rays, the arched support provided by the members 15 adds greatly to the enjoyment of a pool. Water in the pool is warmed through a plastic cover 28, which need not be removed while users of the pool swim beneath it. When diving is indulged in, only a part of the pool need be uncovered. The cover 28 not only slips on and off quickly and easily when the clips 29 are removed, but all the arched members 15 and the braces 21 may be slid along the side members 16 to one end of the pool without removing them entirely. Alternatively the members 15 may be removed, but the members 16 and the braces 21 may be left in place. On many pools this is a convenience for swimmers seeking to pull themselves up where no steps are available.

The disclosed embodiment is not to be construed as a limitation upon my invention, the scope of which is deemed to include any desirable constructive modifications within the spirit and breadth of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a frame for a swimming pool cover: side members for extending along opposite sides of a pool in spaced relationship to the sides of said pool; a plurality of arched members for forming bows under end compression between said side members and in vertical planes; bars each having an end engaging an end of one of said arched members and another end slidably engaging one of said side'members for supporting said arched members slidably and in horizontally spaced relationship between said side members; and braces each having an eye at one end engaging said side members slidably and having a hooked end for hooking over the sides of said pool to retain said side members in spaced relationship in which said arched members are under bowed end compression between said side members.

2. In 'aframe'for'a swimming pool cover, the structure set forth in claim .1, including means for connecting the margins of a pool cover to said side members.

3. In a frame for a swimming pool cover, the structure set forth in claim 1, in which said side members are continuous for encircling said pool and including a guy interconnecting said arched members and said side members.

4. In a frame for a swimming pool cover, the structure set forth in claim 1, in which said arched members have disconnectable joints permitting said arched members to be optionally increased and decreased in length.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 197,327 Buell Nov. 20, 1877 607,933 Laird July 26, 1898 1,087,806 Miller Feb. 17, 1914 1,233,938 Ulrichsen July 17, 1917 1,388,478 Nelson Aug. 23, 1921 1,608,242 'Sava Nov. 23, 1926 1,897,382 Blair Feb. 14, 1933 2,144,747 Adams Jan. 24, 1939 2,903,714 Grondona Sept. 15, 1959 2,912,703 Murphy Nov. 17, 1959 

